51 SOUTHERN AFRICA PRESS FREEDOM REPORT 2019-2020 answered. On many occasions, incidents have been reported where journalists were barred from covering events, and their working materials were taken from them, thus restricting access to information. With digitalisation and the growing use of the internet there are concerns that citizens, in addition to having their freedoms controlled, will consume politically and culturally damaging products, as the country does not possess consistent normative instruments for the defence of digital rights, and for fighting hate speech and disinformation, as well as ensuring strong regulation of broadcast content, which are growing exponentially with the process of digitisation. MEDIA AND GENDER There is a relatively small number of women in the media, and few are in positions of editorial leadership. Many, if not all of the newsrooms do not have gender policies or do not regard gender questions as relevant in their editorial planning or in their human resource management. (90) The media themselves, as agents of change, are doing little about gender representation in Mozambique. Often reports represent women in a negative way, and place them in socially deprived situations, depicting women as faces of social problems, such as poverty, illness and neglect. than 20% of foreign capital. This is in itself a contradiction for a country whose economy depends on foreign investment. Faced with an environment of impunity, one of the demands for the judicial authorities is to guarantee investigation and due punishment of crimes against press freedom. Holding the violators responsible for their acts is one of the fundamental paths for holding back the trend of crimes against the press. One of the reasons why crimes against journalists have been on the increase in Mozambique, is the impunity of those who commit them and the lack of action by the authorities when faced with such events. Note: this is a condensed version of the full country report, which can be accessed online. See also: — SDG 16 assessment and trend: major challenges remain; stagnating — Freedom House report — RSF World Press Freedom Index ranking references (77) FES & MISA (2018). African Media Barometer: Mozambique – 2018”. Windhoek: FES. In https:// www.misa.org.mz/index.php/publicacoes/relatorios/relatorio-2008/101-barometro-africano-dos-media-mocambique-2018 accessed in October, 29, 2020. (78) MISA Mozambique (2020). “The situation of Press Freedom in Mozambique – 2019: Information blackout and press harassment in Cabo Delgado”. Maputo: MISA-Mozambique, in https://www.misa. org.mz/index.php/publicacoes/relatorios/relatorio-2008/98-estagio-da-liberdade-de-imprensa-emmocambique-2019-apagao-de-informacao-e-as-perseguicoes-contra-a-imprensa-em-cabo-delgado/ file, accessed in October, 28, 2020. (79) MISA Mozambique. “Semestral report 2020”. Maputo: MISA Mozambique. More details about this cases can be accessed in https://www.misa.org.mz/index.php/destaques/noticias. MEDIA SUSTAINABILITY (80) CPJ (2020). “Arsonists torch office of independent newspaper Canal de Moçambique in Mozambique”. In https://cpj.org/2020/08/arsonists-torch-office-of-independent-newspaper-canal-de-mocambique-in-mozambique/, Freedom House (2019). Freedom in the World 2019: Democracy in Retreat. In https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/Feb2019_FH_FITW_2019_Report_For- Web-compressed.pdf, According to Media Barometer (2018) (91), there is a reasonable environment for media sustainability in Mozambique, although its capacity for profitable companies is limited. There are evident constraints on the functioning and sustainability of the media sector which begins with low level of consumption and accessibility of media services, marked by purchasing capacity, low internet coverage and low literacy, especially for printed products. Another relevant aspect that limits the sustainability of the media referred to in Media Barometer is that the state has no policies to support the media sector and they are very dependent on advertising, in a very limited and poorly regulated market. Press law also imposes limitations on foreign investment by requiring participation of no more (81) MISA Mozambique (2019). “Report on press freedom 2018”. Maputo: MISA Mozambique. In https://www.misa.org.mz/index.php/publicacoes/relatorios/relatorio-2008/90-relatorio-sobre-o-estado-da-liberdade-de-imprensa-2018/file, accessed in October, 28, 2020. (82) Freedom House (2019). Freedom in the World 2019: Democracy in Retreat. In https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/Feb2019_FH_FITW_2019_Report_ForWeb-compressed.pdf, accessed in October, 28, 2020. And the 2020 report: https://freedomhouse.org/country/mozambique/freedom-world/2020 (82) HRW (2019). “Mozambique: Journalist feared ‘disappeared”. In https://www.hrw.org/ news/2020/04/17/mozambique-journalist-feared-disappeared, accessed in October, 28, 2020. (83) NHANALE (2019). “A Cobertura dos Media sobre a Corrupção em Moçambique: Um “contra-poder” Abalado?”. Maputo: CEC, pp 125 – 126. (84) DN – Diário de Noticias. “Dívidas ocultas e ataques armados são os maiores desafios dos jornalistas moçambicanos”, https://www.dn.pt/lusa/dividas-ocultas-e-ataques-armados-sao-os-maiores-desafios-dos-jornalistas-mocambicanos---especialista-10955126.html, accessed in October, 28, 2020. (85) Freedom House (2019). “Freedom in the World 2019….” Op cit. (86) MISA (2020). “Liberdade de Imprensa não esta limitada e GABINFO não tem poderes de ditar agenda dos órgãos de informação”. In https://www.misa.org.mz/index.php/destaques/comunicados/ comunicados/97-documento-de-posicao-do-misa-liberdade-de-imprensa-nao-esta-limitada-e-gabinfo-nao-tem-poderes-de-ditar-agenda-dos-orgaos-de-informacao/file, accessed in October, 29, 2020. (87) OBSERVADOR (2020). “ONG diz que jornalistas moçambicanos detidos por corrupção podem ter sido alvo de “encenação”. In https://observador.pt/2020/06/10/ong-diz-que-jornalistas-mocambicanos-detidos-por-corrupcao-podem-ter-sido-alvo-de-encenacao/, accessed in October, 29, 2020. (89) MISA (2020). Mozambique: Transparence assessment 2020. In https://www.misa.org.mz/index.php/publicacoes/relatorios/direito-a-informacao-1/103-avaliacao-da-transparencia-em-mocambique-2020-analise-dos-cidadaos-sobre-a-abertura-dos-governos-na-africa-austral/file, accessed in October, 29, 2020. (90) FES & MISA (2018). African Media Barometer: Mozambique – 2018”, op cit. (91) African media barometer: Mozambique 2018, published by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, fesmedia Africa - http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/bueros/africa-media/16084.pdf